


Advice on Going to Sea

by skidmo



Category: Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brian, Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-20
Updated: 2012-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-29 20:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/323659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skidmo/pseuds/skidmo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A distinguished visitor falls through the Rift. Torchwood/Master and Commander crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advice on Going to Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this drawing](http://www.squidge.org/~praxisters/potc/jacks.html) of the Captains Jack.

They’re waiting for it on the beach, and when the dinghy gets washed ashore, the man inside is out cold. Martha manages to bring him around for just a moment, but it’s clear he’s very weak, and Martha says he’s dehydrated, and probably malnourished. Mickey and Jack hoist him up between them and get him settled in the SUV.

***

It’s three days before he fully regains consciousness. He’s been in and out a bit, always a smiling face there to greet him, Gwen or Martha or Jack. Mickey’s rubbish at these sort of things, so he gets a pass on the nursing duties.

Jack’s on duty when the man finally comes around. He’s coughing a little, and Jack feeds him some ice chips, murmuring, “There you go, big man. Nice and easy.”

“My ship,” the man croaks out, blinking in the light of the infirmary.

“We only found the dinghy,” Jack says, shaking his head.

“You’re a Yank,” the man says, eyeing Jack suspiciously.

“Sort of.” Jack gives him a bright grin. “Captain Jack Harkness.”

“Captain Jack Aubrey,” the man says, extending a weak hand to be shaken.

Jack shakes it carefully. “Well, that’s going to be confusing. Got a nickname?”

“They call me Lucky Jack,” he whispers before falling into a coughing fit.

Jack calls Martha in and leaves her to her doctoring.

***

“He’s suffering from a light case of pneumonia, but he appears to have been in very good shape before … well, before whatever it is that’s happened to him. He should pull through this pretty quickly.”

Jack nods, and turns to Gwen who says, “I’ve explained the situation, and he … seems to be taking it rather well, actually. He’s a bit confused, but that’s natural, isn’t it?”

“We’ll have to get him set up with identification papers and find him a job and a flat,” Jack says.

“Jack?” Gwen says softly, laying a hand on his arm. “He wants to see you.”

***

He asks to see the bay, and Martha says it’s all right for him to take a short walk, so Jack escorts him. They take the lift. Jack says it’s because it’ll be a shorter distance for him to walk, but really, Jack just wants to show off. He’s been trying to get Lucky Jack to smile ever since he arrived, and every time he thinks he’s almost succeeded, Aubrey’s lips slide back into that contemplative frown.

The lift, and Jack’s explanation of why people can’t see them, garners a look of wonder, but still no smile.

“Stephen would have loved this,” he murmurs, and Jack says nothing, silently offering Aubrey his arm.

Jack thinks they must make quite a spectacle, two good-looking men, walking arm in arm through the Plass to the water, greatcoats billowing out behind them.

When they get to the end of the pier, Aubrey asks to be left alone for a while, and Jack points out the entrance to the tourist office and tells him to take his time.

Jack watches him on the CCTV for hours.

***

They find him a flat within the week, and Jack helps him ‘move in’. He owns nothing but the clothes on his back, and Martha offered to take him shopping, but Jack decided it would be better if he went instead.

Aubrey faces the experience with the same stoic determination he’s faced everything so far, and Jack imagines he was a demanding but fair captain.

The clothing he chooses is simple and functional. Blues and blacks and greys, like the sea, like his uniform.

Jack tries to get him to buy a new coat, but Aubrey says that if Jack can get away with the greatcoat, he should be able to as well.

To celebrate the successful shopping trip, and because Jack suspects Aubrey is useless in the kitchen, Jack takes him out to dinner. Aubrey eats and drinks with a savor Jack has never seen before, sipping his wine like a sommelier and relishing each individual bite.

Aubrey catches him staring once and very nearly smiles. “When you spend your life at sea, fresh meat and good wine are a luxury to be enjoyed as much as possible.”

Jack grins back at him. “I feel that way about a lot of things.”

That very nearly gets a smile as well.

***

They pass by a music store on their way back to Aubrey’s flat, and Aubrey stops in the window, eyeing the violins.

“Do you play?”

Aubrey nods.

“We can get you one, if you’d like. One of the perks of being the boss is not having to fill out expense reports.”

Aubrey looks at one of the instruments wistfully before shaking his head. He looks at Jack with a gaze that breaks Jack’s heart. “I’ve no one to play with.”

***

The next day, Gwen comes to see him in his office.

“I’m having trouble finding a job for our guest, Jack,” she says, perching on the edge of his desk. “Not many openings for frigate captains in Cardiff.”

Jack tries to look unconcerned, but he’s been worried about this as well. “I’m open to creative suggestions if you’ve got any.”

Gwen is quiet. She’s got that look on her face that says she wants to say something Jack won’t want to hear.

He waits her out.

“Jack?” she says eventually.

“Yes?”

“We _are_ a man down.”

“No,” Jack says, a note of finality in his voice.

Gwen has never been good at listening to that note. “It’s been months, Jack. How long are we going to keep his position open?”

“We’re not a man down,” he says firmly, looking at Gwen straight on. “I created that position for Ianto, and we don’t need a replacement for him.”

Gwen looks at him sympathetically for a moment, then nods and stands. “I’ll keep looking,” she says and turns to leave.

***

A week later, Jack is in Aubrey’s flat, sitting out on his balcony, sipping a glass of claret.

“Idleness does not suit me, Jack,” Aubrey says abruptly, not taking his eyes from the sliver of the bay they can see from his flat.

“We’re still working on finding you a job,” Jack says, swirling his wine in his glass.

“You know as well as I do that you won’t find something for me here.”

“You’re an intelligent man, Lucky Jack. There are all sorts of things you could do.”

Aubrey looks at him seriously. “All I know is the sea, and I can’t sail on your modern ships. There’s nothing for me here.”

Jack’s heard that before, and he refuses to lose Aubrey the way he lost John. He reaches over to Aubrey and cups Aubrey’s face in his hand. “You have me,” he says softly.

Aubrey looks at him for a long while, and Jack feels like he’s being laid bare before this man. Eventually, Aubrey nods and stands, setting down his glass and moving back inside.

After a moment, Jack follows him. He finds Aubrey in the bedroom, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

“Let me,” Jack whispers, and Aubrey turns to face him.

Neither of them says anything as Jack finishes unbuttoning Aubrey’s shirt, pushing it carefully off his shoulders. He doesn’t’ drop it to the floor, folding it instead and laying it on the dresser. He stands in front of Aubrey, hands reaching for Aubrey’s skin, fingers sliding over scar after scar. Aubrey stands still and watches him curiously even as Jack pulls the tie out of Aubrey’s hair, letting it fall around his shoulders. When Jack has finished his inspection, Aubrey reaches for Jack’s braces, pushing them off his shoulders and quickly and adeptly unbuttoning Jack’s shirt. He folds it as well and lays it on top of his own on the dresser.

His hands slide over Jack’s chest, mimicking Jack’s earlier actions. “Not a scar in sight,” he murmurs, and Jack thinks this may be the first time he’s heard that said when it wasn’t a compliment.

When Aubrey has finished, Jack reaches for his belt, quickly unbuckling it and undoing his trousers. Jack drops to his knees and unties Aubrey’s shoes, slipping them off and pulling off Aubrey’s socks as well. He looks up at Aubrey as he pulls down his trousers and shorts. Although Aubrey is obviously aroused, his expression has hardly changed this entire time. He simply looks at Jack with a mild, detached interest.

For the first time in a very, very long while, Jack feels nervous. He wonders if he’s doing something wrong, if Aubrey is enjoying this at all. He even, for a just a moment, worries that he’s read the situation entirely wrong and Aubrey doesn’t even want this.

“Don’t doubt yourself, Jack,” Aubrey whispers, a hand under Jack’s chin pulling his gaze upwards and guiding Jack off his knees. “I believe we both know what this is and is not about.”

Aubrey removes Jack’s trousers with the same efficiency he’d used on Jack’s shirt and leads Jack over to the bed.

Jack falls into it gracefully, gratefully and, for the first time in months, he gives himself up to pleasure at someone else’s hands.

***

Jack pauses in the middle of redressing and sits on the bed.

“Come to work for me,” he murmurs, looking tenderly at Aubrey. “I’ve got a position open.”

Aubrey finally smiles at him. “No you don’t, Jack. Don’t fool yourself. I’ll never be him.”

Jack falters, pulling on his shirt to disguise it. “What makes you say that?” he whispers.

“Because you’ll never be Stephen.”

***

Mickey pops into his office the next morning, coffee in hand. “Weirdest thing, Jack.”

“You got laid last night?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s really funny. No really. You should go into stand up.” Mickey sets the coffee down on Jack’s desk.

Jack grins. “What’s up?”

“Jack Aubrey never disappeared.”

“What?”

Mickey drops a stack full of printouts onto Jack’s desk. “Captain Jack Aubrey went missing from his ship in a storm, but he washed up two days later on a beach, about forty miles from his last known location.”

Jack flips through the printouts. “That’s impossible.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said, but it’s right there.”

Jack’s about to argue when a very familiar sound ripples through the Hub.

“Sounds like someone needs a pit stop,” Mickey says, and they exchange grins.

***

“I’m supposed to believe this little blue box can take me back to my ship?” Aubrey asks, circling the TARDIS.

“No one ever believes in the TARDIS. Why does no one ever believe in it?”

“I dunno,” Martha says, smiling at the Doctor. “Maybe it’s cos it _still_ looks like a big blue box.”

Aubrey looks at Jack. “I take it this isn’t a service you offer to all your visitors.”

“Well,” Jack says, grinning widely. “It isn’t always an option. We never know when he’ll drop in.”

“And when he does drop in?”

Jack shakes his head and looks seriously at Aubrey. “No, it’s not something we offer all our visitors.”

Aubrey leads Jack a little way away from the others as they say their farewells to the Doctor. “And why are you offering it to me?”

“Because I’ll never be Stephen,” Jack whispers. “And you’ll never be Ianto.”

Aubrey claps a hand on Jack’s back. “You’re a good man, Jack Harkness.”

“As are you,” Jack says, pulling Aubrey into a hug. “You’re a good man, Lucky Jack.”

 _fin_


End file.
